5 Things About Mount Vernon That Surprised Me

This past weekend I had the chance to visit Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, for the first time ever. As you know, I always enjoy visiting historic sites, but I especially enjoy the ones I’ve never been to before. Why? Because it allows me the chance to share with you my fresh perspective of my experience!

With that said, here are 5 things that surprised me during my visit to Mount Vernon:

1. It isn’t just a mansion and gardens. Okay, well that’s not something that totally surprised me. Mount Vernon’s website indicated that there were other sites besides the mansion such as Pioneer Farm,  the tombs, the Distillery & Gristmill, and the museum. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that Pioneer Farm, the tombs, and the museum were right in walking distance from the mansion. If you do plan to visit and want to see the estate in its entirety, plan for the trip to take a few hours. We spent approximately 3.5 hours walking around and completing the mansion tour, but still did not visit the Distillery & Gristmill.
2. There’s an old tomb and a new tomb. George Washington believed the old family tomb needed some repairs. In his will, he instructed a new tomb to be constructed according to his specifications. In 1831, his body (along with Martha’s and the remnants of fellow family members) were moved to the new tomb. You can visit both of the tombs today.
3. The front of the home is not made of stone. This fact did surprise me! The front of the mansion looks as if it was built with large, smooth stone. But it’s actually made of wood. Apparently when George Washington was abroad, he witnessed a process called rustication. He copied this process when he returned home. Painting the wood, sand was then thrown onto the wet paint in order to create a stone-like texture. This practice of rustication is still used when restorations/renovations on the exterior of the mansion are needed.
4. An efficient but rushed tour. I was under the impression that the guided tour (we picked the 12:00PM tour time) would be led by one tour guide as we moved about the house. (Like in the style of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello or DuPont’s Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library). However, it turned out to be a “conveyor belt” style tour. As the line moved forward, the tour guides (who were stationed in specific spots) would share information every 15 seconds or so. While it was efficient (especially with so many visitors) I felt uncomfortable to ask questions or to stop and really take in the various rooms. With that said, it was still a delightful time and I plan to visit again in the future.
5. It took George Washington over 30 years to renovate. Once George Washington inherited Mount Vernon, it took over 30 years to reach the appearance it has today.

Historic Sites Summer Bucket List

I shared in this post that a fellow intern and I sat down to create a list of historic sites we hope to visit in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area. Below is a list of sites we’ve compiled. While it does set a fun goal for the summer, we are unsure whether we will reach all of our destinations.

This page will be updated when visits and reviews are completed. For now, click the names of the historic sites to see their respective websites.

Check back to see our progress!

1. George Washington’s Mount Vernon – status: visited on June 10th, 2018. Review in progress.
2. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens – status: date set.
3. President Lincoln’s Cottage – status: date set.
4. Tudor Place
5. Old Stone House (currently temporarily closed)
6. Ford’s Theater
7. Petersen House
8. Anderson House
9. Riversdale House Museum
10. William Paca House

NASA Social

This past weekend I had the opportunity and honor to attend my first NASA Social down at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, where I witnessed the launch of Orbital ATK’s CRS-9 mission to the International Space Station. This two and a half day event allowed almost 40 participants to tour the facilities, be briefed pre-launch, meet fellow science and space enthusiasts, and witness the launch.

I had applied to this opportunity back in late April (the deadline being April 30, 2018). As an undergrad student who is interested in communications (primarily being able to take information and make it accessible for public consumption), and space (I began asking my parents about black holes when I was around five years old), I was intrigued by this amazing opportunity. Talk about witnessing history in the making!

The application itself was simple to fill out, and took only a few minutes to fill out. I received a confirmation that my application had delivered and was under review. A week later, NASA emailed me back saying I had been approved! I quickly confirmed my attendance, booked my hotel, packed my bags, and waited for Friday to arrive!

On Friday, I headed down to Wallops near Assateague and Chincoteague islands (Remember the children’s book Misty of Chincoteague).

Here is a brief breakdown on what happened each day:

Friday, May, 18th, 2018.

• Driving to Wallops. I stayed in Pocomoke City which was about a 22 minute drive away from Wallops. (And Wallops is about 20 minutes away from the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is a great place to hike, bike, and relax on the beach.)

Saturday, May 19th, 2018.

• Registration. Lanyard, OA-9 information booklet, and cute spacesuit wearing stuffed animal duck included.
• Introductions. Name, occupation, and favorite celestial object.
• Pre-launch briefing on what’s on board the OA-9. Yes, it was a resupply mission – meaning food and other materials were on board. But in addition, science experiments were included as well. For example, one study being included was cement solidification in space. (This study would be useful for potential habitable infrastructure in space.)

Sunday, May 20th, 2018.

• Launch Pad OA Visit. We were able to be a few hundred yards away from the launch pad, the closest a civilian would be able to get. It was amazing to see the rocket in the light of day.

  

  View of the launch pad. The water tower helps suppress the sound of the rocket during the launch.

• Tour of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF). Where the pieces of the rocket are brought together and assembled. After being assembled, the rocket is moved to a launch pad and raised vertically. It was neat to see the process, as well as have our questions answered.

  

  Outside the HIF.

• Pre-launch press conference. About the launch, and what they hoped to achieve.
• Lunch. (On the note of food, I ate at Ray’s Shanty every night during my time at Wallops/Chincoteague. It had great reviews, and wonderful seafood. In fact, I had the best tuna in my life there! Even if you’re not a fan of seafood, they have other options such as burgers, hotdogs, grilled cheeses, chicken strips, and prime rib.)
• Range control center (RCC). It reminded me a lot of what I imagined mission control to be like. The RCC checks and ensures that the launch operations are in place. Once the rocket launches, the RCC continues to monitor it until a certain point. At that point, control is then transferred to another site.
• Sounding rocket & Balloon research development laboratory tour.  On these two tours of the separate facilities, we were able to see where sound rockets were produced and gained an explanation of what balloons are and what the purpose of balloon research is.  One aspect that surprised me was the work that many universities conduct with the balloon research development team.

  

  Inside the sounding rocket facility.

• Astronaut meeting. It was a honor to be able to meet an astronaut and hear about their experience on earth and in space.

Monday, May 21st, 2018.

• Launch time. Since we were expected the board the buses at 2:30 AM, I woke up at 12:45AM in order to grab a couple of granola bars, my camera, and a sweatshirt. The Antares launch was scheduled for 4:39AM. I was actually a bit nervous since storms and rain were rolling through the sky. But the RCC confirmed that the weather was good enough for the launch, and the rain and storms ceased. What in particularly made me nervous was the fact that they pushed the launch back until 4:44AM, the very end of their five minute window.

The launch itself was absolutely incredible. We were about 1.8 miles away from the launch pad – the closest media could get to the rocket. After all the checks were completed, the countdown began. At 3…2…1…, I held my breath because there was a lag of silence. I was scared that something went wrong. But then the rocket began to rise ever so peacefully. It was beautiful. The noise then began to hit us only after it had risen, and the vibrations of the sound and sheer power hit us.

The rocket taking off.

Summary. Overall it was a fantastic experience that I would completely recommend to anyone who is on social media, and is interested in space, NASA, and technology. Not only did I gain media access, but I meet some incredible people along the way.

It was truly an honor to have been selected, and I hope to attend another NASA Social soon. What a historic moment!

6 Skills I Have Learned as a History Major

A short, sweet, and to the point list of six skills I have learned as a history and classics double major.

1. The ability to think critically. 
2. The ability to communicate effectively through both the power of speech and the written word. My history courses have offered me various opportunities to foster and improve my presentation skills, as well as my writing skills.
3. The ability to analyze material. Journal articles and books are the main secondary sources I use as a history major. In regards to primary sources, I have been fortunate enough to have some incredible experiences such as reading World War II era letters, pouring over college history documents, conducting a 90 minute interview that became a part of an oral history collection, and reading colonial era newspapers via microfilm.
4. The ability to conduct research on a specific theme or topic.
5. The ability to format a clear thought or argument. Crafting a clear, concise and original thesis statement takes critical thinking, revision, and even more revision. In fact, I consider writing the first paragraph of a paper the most difficult part. However, forming a thesis statement becomes easier with practice, and as a history major I am given ample opportunity to practice.
6. The ability to understand why a specific event occurred. Yes, the American Revolution happened, but why did it happen? What policies, attitudes, ideas, people, and prior events led to the American Revolution? What was the aftermath of the American Revolution, and how did it shape – and continue to shape – future historical events?